May is officially the first month of the Summer season and hopefully we will have lots of nice sunny weather which ‘May’ entice us to eat more salads! This recipe is quick to throw together but has lots of variety with crunchy and juicy textures and flavours!! Really handy and can help avoid food waste too, especially if you have left over cooked chicken or salad ingredients that need to be used!!!

Ingredients:
(Serves 1 person)

1 chicken fillet
1 handful (approx. x10) grapes (green or red)
50g pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds
6 cherry tomatoes
200g spinach and other leaves (Fresh Basil leaves add a beautiful flavour of Summer!)
60g Feta cheese

Feel free to add any other ingredients of your liking such as red onion, scallion, peppers, diced beetroot, shredded carrot, cucumber, slices of apple, Goat’s cheese, couscous, walnuts or pecans.
Tip: For more flavour, toast the seeds by heating them on a dry pan over a medium heat for 1-2minutes until they turn golden brown and produce a rich, toasty fragrance. DON’T take your eye off them though as they burn quite easily and toss them around on the pan to ensure even toasting!

Optional Balsamic Honey Dressing (alternatively use a dressing of your liking)
(Makes 4 servings. Store any leftover dressing in an air-tight container in the fridge and use within 3 weeks)

3 tablespoonsBalsamic vinega
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch of black pepper.

To make the dressing, place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth (approx. 30 seconds). Alternatively whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until they are well combined. (Although using a blender will result in a smoother consistency). Stir well before serving to ensure the ingredients are combined.
Method:

(1.)Grill the chicken fillet with spices or flavouring of your liking. I like Cajun spices or paprika.(2.) While keeping an eye on the grill, prepare the salad ingredients by washing and chopping/slicing. (3.) Place all of the salad ingredients into a large mixing bowl (spinach, sliced grapes, tomatoes, feta cheese and seeds). When cooked thoroughly, slice the grilled chicken and add into this mixing bowl. Then add a dressing of your choice and toss all the ingredients around in the mixing bowl. Ensure the dressing coats all of the ingredients evenly.(4.) Assemble the salad on your serving dish. Bain sult as (enjoy)!!

Please follow ‘Biabites’ on Facebook for other food ideas especially in the ‘Fun food’ and ‘Recipes’ albums.Please follow @BiaBites on twitter.For nutrition talks/workshops at events or in schools/workplaces/community groups = please email: arthursniamh@gmail.com Niamh Arthurs BSc, Msc Registered Dietitian and Researcher